FROM THE GARDEN OF ZEN: 2020

December 27, 2020

Sunset seascape: Yuigahama-beach

The sun is gradually sinking beyond the distant horizon, sending out its blazing rays of light into the pastel winter seascape as if to show its crowning glory of this day.

The intertwined strings of fleecy clouds, which are gently floating away due to the winter sea breeze, are illuminated by the dazzling golden light of the setting sun and are shining softly against the pale evening sky.

A small fishing boat is sailing slowly across the rippling surface of the sea which is shining with the luster of old gold in the glow of the setting sun.

Sunset seascape: Yuigahama-beach

The position of the sun, the shades of the floating clouds, the state of the atmosphere, and the reflections on the sea are constantly changing before my eyes and are creating the ever-transforming spectacles of sunset which I can never encounter again.

People standing in silence on the seashore are unknowingly gazing at the restless undulation of the universe far beyond the sinking sun.

The homing seabirds are quietly making their way across the calm river mouth which is reflecting the glowing colors of the evening sky.

At the water's edge: Yuigahama-beach

The sea is shining like a vast silvery mosaic in the bright ray of the sinking sun. Beyond this dazzling seascape, I see eternity extending far away to the end of universe.

Like a Koan (an enigmatic riddle of Zen which has no solution,) the boundless expanse of the rippling sea implies the veiled meaning of our birth, death, and rebirth.

People are lingering at the water's edge to seek the silent distant voices from beyond the sea so that they can realize the innermost reasons for their being in existence here now.

Sunset seascape: Yuigahama-beach

Although the sun is disappearing behind the silhouette of the Izu Peninsula, the radiant golden glow of the evening sun is still spreading far and wide across the sky.

The dusk is deepening every moment. A mass of cumulus clouds are drifting away in the twilight, gradually getting darker and darker.

Like the glowing embers of the setting sun, the bottoms of the shadowy clouds are tinted with the color of a dark flame.

Afterglow: Yuigahama-beach

Flying dragon clouds: Yuigahama-beach

Sunset seascape: Yuigahama-beach

Cumulus clouds: Yuigahama-beach

Sunset seascape: Yuigahama-beach

December 9, 2020

Autumn leaves: Engaku-ji

In the humble front garden of the temple dedicated to Sho-Kannon (Aryavalokitesvara,) the dry leaves of the old maple tree are quietly turning scarlet as if to know when the biting cold wind will begin to blow.

By the side of this small temple, the old Kinmokusei (golden fragrant olive) tree, which once bore countless golden flowers in early autumn, has returned to its inconspicuous evergreen figure and is quietly standing there to brace itself for the arrival of harsh midwinter.

As winter deepens moment by moment, autumn leaves become brightly colored more and more to dye this tranquil garden with the flaming colors of vivid afterglow.

Autumn leaves: Engaku-ji

In the bright slanting sunlight of the afternoon, a festivity of blazing colors is continuing silently as if to try to withstand the inevitable coming of desolate wintry scenes.

Knowing that their time of falling will come soon in this fast-passing season, the gold and crimson leaves keep gaining the fiery colors of the setting sun in front of the solemn Sangedatsumon (Three Gates of Liberation) of the old temple.

Autumn leaves: Engaku-ji

The old stone statues of Kannon Bosatsu (Kannon Bodhisattva) are calmly bathed in the oblique rays of the afternoon sun.

The vivid yellow and red leaves of the trees around this garden are shining radiantly like brilliant gold ornaments to dedicate their splendor to these deities of great compassion and mercy.

In the profound silence of this sacred place, the small moss-covered images of Kannon Bosatsu are everlastingly praying that the souls of all living things are saved from their sufferings and pains.

Autumn leaves: Engaku-ji

Autumn leaves: Tokei-ji

Autumn leaves: Kaizo-ji

Sazanka (Camellia sasanqua) flowers: Kawakita Memorial Hall (Kamakura)

Autumn leaves: Jochi-ji

November 26, 2020

Autumn leaves: Engaku-ji

The change in the sun's diurnal orbit on the celestial sphere causes the transitions of seasons. In winter, because of the lower altitude of the sun, hours of sunlight decrease substantially and ambient temperatures descend sharply.

In the autumnal garden dressed with various flaming colors, living things have sensed the subtle signs of the coming winter and quietly begun to prepare for the cold and harsh season.

Soon deciduous trees shed all of their colored leaves in haste to defend themselves against the severe coldness and insufficient sunshine of midwinter. Before long, they will enter into quiet winter sleep and dream of the warm spring sunlight.

Autumn leaves: Engaku-ji

In the transparent sunlight of late autumn, the colored leaves of trees are brightly shining like a fleeting illusion showing the flames of life. The greenish-blue copper roof of the Butsuden (Buddhist sanctum), where the Birushana Buddha is enshrined, is accentuating these brilliant colors of leaves.

Sensing the arrival of winter by a sharp decrease in temperature and sunlight, deciduous trees cut off the supply of water to their leaves to shed them completely in preparation for bitter winter.

The chemical reaction caused by the dryness and aging of the leaves produces various blazing colors of the leaves which remind me of the radiant glow of the sun setting in the sea.

Autumn leaves: Engaku-ji

The discolored and faded leaves of the Sakura tree are quietly waiting for the moment of fluttering in a wintry blast.

Soon, on the chilly ground, these leaves will begin to be decomposed by microorganisms in the soil and change into precious nutriment for the lively rebirth and blooming in next spring.

The hidden wisdom of nature, which has been inherited from the far distant past, manifests itself stealthily in the unceasing passage of the seasons.

Autumn leaves: Kaizo-ji

Bamboo grove: Kencho-ji

Autumn leaves: Kencho-ji

Dead fern: Kencho-ji

Seascape: Yuigahama-beach

Shirayama-giku (Aster scaber) flowers: Tokei-ji

Rindo (Gentiana) flowers: Tokei-ji

Jyugatsu-sakura (Cerasus ×subhirtella Masam. & Suzuki ‘Autumnalis') flowers: Tokei-ji

Jyugatu-zakura (Cerasus ×subhirtella Masam. & Suzuki ‘Autumnalis') flowers: Tokei-ji

Shumei-giku (Anemone hupehensis var. japonica) flowers: Jyochi-ji

Tsuwabuki (Farfugium japonicum Kitam.) flowers: Tokei-ji

Hototogisu (Tricyrtis hirta) flowers: Kaizo-ji

October 24, 2020

Kinmokusei (Osmanthus fragrans) flowers and Sho-kannon-do temple: Engaku-ji

The countless small flowers of Kinmokusei (sweet olive) are in full bloom to notify the fast deepening of autumn and are announcing their gorgeous blooming by diffusing their sweet fragrance in this tranquil garden which will soon be adorned with colored autumn leaves.

In the humble "Sho-kannon-do" temple below the cloud of golden yellow flowers, the small wooden statue of the Sho-kannon (Holy Avalokiteshvara) is silently standing, while tenderheartedly staring at the ceaseless and swift transition of the seasons and all living things before his eyes.

Kinmokusei (Osmanthus fragrans) flowers: Engaku-ji

According to a Chinese legend, Kinmokusei has been considered to be the sacred tree of the heavenly realm, which purges evil spirits and provides eternal youth and longevity.

The moon is regarded to be the origin of this sacred tree, and the full moon shines in gold because golden Kinmokusei flowers are in full bloom on the moon.

This plant of fragrant flowers is dioecious, but only male plants were introduced to Japan from China in the 18th century as a garden plant and were propagated throughout Japan by cutting.

Therefore, all Kinmokusei trees grown in Japan are male plants. These male flowers send out their sweet perfumes as if to silently sing ballads that express their unfulfilled longing of love in the midst of this gentle season.

Hagi, Sarusuberi, and Kin-mokusei flowers: Engaku-ji

Being wrapped with the transparent sunlight that descends from the clear autumn sky, the various colorful flowers that decorate this garden seem to be joyfully competing with each other for splendor.

Before long, the north wind will begin blowing to cause this garden to be ablaze with the autumnal tints of leaves.

The seasonal changes in sunshine conditions and ambient temperatures cause the blooming of different flowers and the transformation of various leaves, which makes us notice the stealthy turn of the seasons.

Shion (Aster tataricus) flowers and a statue of Jizo Bosatsu: Engaku-ji

Countless pale-purple Shion flowers are facing all together toward the bright autumn sun and are swaying faintly in the fresh breeze blowing through the green cedar trees around the Sangedatsumon gate (Three Gates of Liberation).

Surrounded by the cascades of Hagi (Lespedeza) flowers, a stone statue of the Jizo Bodhisattva (the guardian deity of children, travelers, and lost souls), in the figure of a young boy, is standing still and praying for the infinite happiness of all living things in this world.